Dazzling Dubai and Moorish Mauritius
DUBAI – The Hotel On arrival into Dubai, we were met by our driver and taken to our lovely air-conditioned private car for our journey to JA Ocean View on The Walk. Having never visited Dubai, I was left in awe as we made our way to the hotel, the contrast of desert and city was incredible. On arrival at JA Ocean View and stepping outside the comfort of our air conditioned car, it was then the heat and humidity hit me, however a cool lobby and a friendly welcome by reception soon made me forget about the frizz that was seconds away from encumbering my face. Check in was so smooth and seamless that we were soon on our way to our club level Junior Suite. We chose to upgrade to the club level so we could get use of the club lounge and take advantage of the private space, the complimentary drinks (soft during the day and then come evening they would have 2 hours of alcoholic beverages) canapes and breakfast options. It was worth every penny to do this, even just for the complimentary drinks. The Junior Suite itself was gorgeous, modern decoration and a sumptuous bathroom with a rubber duck for a friend (which has been re-homed with me!). The hotel provided us with a thoughtful welcome plate to celebrate our honeymoon with chocolate cake, fruit and of course Dates. The chocolate cake was very much welcomed by us both.
DUBAI – Things to do To fill our time in Dubai and ensure we saw as much as we could, we had pre-booked a hop on hop off bus ticket which was valid for 2 days and there was a stop just along from the hotel. This would take us to see all the sights we had wanted to see. We ventured on the bus for our first day in Dubai, this showed us the sights of Atlantis on the Palm, Burj al Arab, Jumeriah Beach and Burj Khalifa (which we would come back to) to name a few. With recorded commentary, it was a great option for us to get to know the area. For those that love diamonds, you’ll be pleased to know that diamonds here can be up to 50% cheaper than back home, so why not put a stop to the Diamond Mall on your list? Dubai Mall is a day out in itself, all 12.1 million square feet of it. You will also find, Burj Khalifa, the fountains and the aquarium here. Burj Khalifa is as incredible as the photos show it, from the ride in the lift to the views from the top, it really is something to behold. With a 360-observation deck, you can really see everything the Dubai has to offer. Whilst we were slightly unfortunate to have our skyline marred by the heat haze, it didn’t stop us from seeking out The World whilst we were up there. The World is located approximately 4km off the Dubai coast and are various small islands constructed in the shape of a world map.
MAURITIUS – Onwards and Upwards After 2 nights in Dubai, our time had come to an end and it was time to move onto Mauritius. Looking out of the window and seeing Mauritius from the air was beautiful, it was so green and with the sun beaming down, it made it so welcoming and you couldn’t help but smile. Before taking our private transfer, we exchanged money at the airport. The airport offers a wide selection of bureau de changes and the rates are extremely similar, so we had no issues with going to the first available counter. Ensure you take Stirling cash with you to exchange. On arrival to Zilwa Attitude, our first impression was that all the guests seemed so happy, there was such a laid back vibe, we knew immediately we had made the right choice. We were welcomed into the hotel with a cool towel and refreshing lemongrass drink, while one of the receptionists started checking us in. We were transported to our room using a golf buggy and had a brief tour of the hotel on doing so. When arriving at our room, the receptionist told us not to open the curtains until the morning, as we would have a big surprise! We had opted for a Couples Privilege Ocean View Suite which was one of the top room categories the hotel features. The room itself is very rustic but so refreshing. It was all open plan, which I am a great fan of as it means you can keep your conversation going. We took the advice of the receptionist and didn’t open the curtains (although it was tempting!!) until the morning, but when we did, it was worth the suspense! We knew we had a Jacuzzi on the balcony, and we knew we had an Ocean View, but we didn’t expect the view we had. It was another form of paradise. The Indian Ocean glistened as the sun hit it and made for a tempting pre-breakfast swim.
The main buffet restaurant at the hotel had so much choice for Breakfast and Evening meal that even the fussiest of eaters wouldn’t struggle. There are also 4 Ala Carte restaurants (Chinese, Indian, Mauritian and Seafood) which you can book into. My favourite was the Indian. There is also the option of a BBQ lunch on the private island which is fantastic! Zilwa in Mauritian means Islander, and you need to come prepared to embrace the Islander way of living, yes, it is in a luxury environment, but the authentic experiences on offer should be jumped at. From learning to speak Creole, to cooking a Mauritian curry, from a sunrise fishing trip with the locals to visiting one of the local houses for a dinner, its all on offer here and shouldn’t be missed. We booked a couple of trips, a tour of the Island with swimming with the dolphins and Casela Park. We had heard so many great things about Casela Park prior to leaving the UK, so it was top of our list to do. The park is beautiful and filled with so many species of animals, there are interactive opportunities too such as segwaying and walking with the lions. It is a great day out and highly recommended for all ages. There is also a hotel operated catamaran trip which is worth doing too, you soak up the rays, swim in the Mangroves, head off to a private island and have a beautiful lunch cooked for you whilst taking in the beauty of Mauritius.
The one plus of coming home though, was the Business Class flights we had booked for the return!
Even though this was my honeymoon and it was always going to special, it is still to this day one of the best trips I’ve done. The hotels, the food and the friends that we met over the course of 2 weeks were just wonderful. I was honestly, extremely sad to leave Mauritius, and its one place that I have vowed to return.
